Swindon Town: Chief executive Rob Angus praises 'massively overachieving' club

Swindon Town's County Ground stadium which chairman Clem Morfuni hopes to buy a stake in

Swindon Town chief executive Rob Angus says the club is "massively overachieving" this season considering their position last summer.

Australian businessman Clem Morfuni became Swindon's chairman in July 2021 after a lengthy legal battle.

At the time Swindon had been relegated from League One, had only 12 players on their books, were without a manager and were under a transfer embargo.

Swindon currently sit seventh in League Two, with eight matches remaining.

"We're massively overachieving on the pitch," Angus told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

"I think Ben Garner [manager] has done an amazing job, Ben Chorley [director of football] has done an amazing job with the recruitment there.

"We're really punching much better than we were expecting given the fact we had half a dozen or so registered players when we took over in late July last year."

Swindon have won 17 matches this season and have the joint second-highest goal scoring tally in the league as it stands. They sit in the play-off places just four points off Exeter City in second place.

They next face Rochdale away on Saturday, 2 April.

Ben Garner was appointed Swindon Town manager last July

The club has also recently been approved to buy their County Ground stadium from Swindon Borough Council, in a joint purchase with a supporters group worth £2.3m.

"We're making good progress and headway. We're rebuilding the club, it takes time, it isn't an overnight job," Angus said.

"But I think the progress is really good, fantastic on the pitch and I think solid and progressing at a good pace off it."

Creating a sustainable football club

Angus, who was also appointed last summer, said Morfuni had brought Swindon "back from the brink" since he took over and became the club's majority shareholder, having previously owned a minority stake in the club.

While Morfuni has spoken of his ambitions to see Swindon in the Championship, the stadium purchase represents a major financial investment in the club's future.

The new owners plan to invest £20m in developing the ground, starting with the Stratton Bank Stand in 2024. Corporate boxes will be added to the Don Rogers Stand while a conference centre, hotel and hospitality facilities will also all be built on the site.

"It unlocks security I think, it unlocks an asset that can be used to support the future of the club. Obviously, it unlocks investment and the development of the County Ground," Angus continued.

"The fact the club now owns it with its supporters protects its legacy and its future but also unlocks that investment and the funds that come in can improve the stadium and the surrounding area.

"There's great opportunity with the site here to create a real hub for people to come to and enjoy.

"At the same time, it will generate commercial revenues that will support the sustainability of the football club."

The last major investment in the County Ground came back in 1994 with Steve Mytton, chairman of the Swindon Town Supporters Trust, describing the stadium as "decaying" in its current condition.

"It's a combination of the football club and the supporters working together, collaborating together, fairly unique," Mytton said.

"It enables the stadium to move on, but it also enables the supporters to have that protection around the legacy of the stadium.

"It's very important that in 10, 20, 50 years, 100 years time that this stadium is still in safe hands and this joint venture is really a fantastic way of achieving that."